Wheat grass as a nutritional food was popularized in the United States in the 1940s by Ann Wigmore, author on natural health. Wheat grass juice, which is made by grinding the young shoots, contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and amino acids. Nutritionist Phyllis Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," recommends wheat grass as a rich source of chlorophyll. Wheat grass has not been proven by scientific evidence to cure or prevent disease, however, the supplement may have some benefits.
Better Blood
In India, terminally ill cancer patients were given 1 oz. of fresh wheat grass juice daily for six months. Research findings published in the June 2006 "Journal of Clinical Oncology" state that those on wheat grass had higher levels of hemoglobin, albumin and serum proteins. After six months, the study participants also had more strength and stamina, leading researchers to speculate that the juice may offer an alternative to blood transfusions.
Lowered Fats
Wheat grass juice is a folk medicine treatment for coronary artery disease in India. To test its effects, researchers randomized three groups of rats on a standard pellet diet. The scientists, who published their findings in the October 2008 "Indian Journal of Pharmacology," measured blood lipids in all the rats. Compared to control rats, those given wheat grass juice had significantly lower total cholesterol levels, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins, the kind that deposit fat in the arteries and raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. High-density lipoproteins, or good cholesterol, that carry fat out of the arteries, were higher in rats given wheat grass juice. Higher doses of wheat grass juice produced better blood results than lower doses.
Digestive Health
Wheat grass may remedy digestive disorders. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Israel assigned ulcerative colitis patients either 100cc of fresh wheat grass juice daily or a placebo for one month. Effects were measured by frequency of bowel movements, rectal bleeding and sigmoidoscopic examinations. Treatment with wheat grass juice was associated with lower severity of symptoms. Scientists credited four antioxidant components of wheat grass juice for producing these effects. Results of this study were published in the April 2002 "Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology."
Bone Marrow Protection
Bone marrow is the source of clotting and immune factors as well as red blood cells. Bone marrow suppression, or myelotoxicity, is a life-threatening side-effect of chemotherapy, which leads to anemia, bleeding and the inability to fight infections. Breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were randomized to receive 2 oz. of wheat grass juice or placebo during treatment. The study, published in "Nutrition and Cancer" in 2007, found the women on wheat grass supplements were less likely to develop myelotoxicity.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis Balch, CNC; 2004
- "Journal of Clinical Oncology"; Effect of wheat grass juice in supportive care of terminally ill cancer patients--- A tertiary cancer centre experience from India; Dey S., et. al.; June 2006
- "Indian Journal of Pharmacology"; Effect of Fresh Triticum Aestivum Grass Juice on Lipid Profile of Normal Rats, Kothari S., et. al.; October 2008
- "Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology"; Wheat grass juice in the Treatment of Active Distal Ulcerative Colitis: a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial, Ben-Arye E., et. al., April 2002, 37(4)
- "Nutrition and Cancer," Wheat Grass Juice May Improve Hematological Toxicity Related to Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: a Pilot Study, Bar-Sela G., et. al., 2007, 58(1)
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